2013 Corporate Community Award Recipients

Mavazi Apparel

After the tragic loss of an employee, Mavazi Apparel wanted to do something in her honour to support the Drop-In 180 program at the downtown Boys and Girls Club which she had often talked of. So, storeowner Amanda Zais created an online auction and within just two and a half weeks, recruited over 70 local businesses to donate, raising $4200 for the program.

Putting together online auctions was nothing new for the Mavazi Apparel team. In 2013, they also created one for Hands in Service and their Touch of Christmas fair. They also arranged for all the media coverage, garnered support from other local businesses and created such a buzz that the auction earned over 50% more than the previous year. They also provided the pick up point for bid winners, processing payments at their own expense.

Mavazi is also well known to the Gospel Mission, where they help with clothing donations from their store monthly as well as offering discounts to customers who bring in gently worn clothes to donate.

When not in the store, Amanda also volunteers with the Elizabeth Fry Society as a board member and notes that, “if you set your mind to do something, you can do anything.”

Coopers Foods Rutland Store

Not a month seems to go by that Coopers Food Rutland isn’t helping the community. They are a vital donor for the Salvation Army’s food bank with events ranging from their March ‘Help Hunger Disappear’ campaign to the August’s ‘I Love Rutland’ food raising and November’s ‘Fill the Van for Sally Ann.’

The store has been a gold sponsor for Special Olympics and regularly supports the Rutland Chiefs hockey team by selling game tickets, donating draw prizes and having staff wear team shirts on game days. They’ve handed out freezies in parades and water at the festivals and raise funds annually for Heart and Stroke.

A $500 bursary was handed out by the store manager himself at Rutland Senior Secondary’s grad ceremony and they support the Children’s Hospital with their coin drop and round up events, where customers round up their bill to the nearest dollar and Coopers matches it. In 2013 they began selling popcorn to support the hospital and it became so popular the machine wore out and they had buy a new one.

Groups frequently use their BBQ outside the store for fundraisers and they are forever donating baskets for silent auctions. In 2013, their 60 employees volunteered 186 hours and raised or donated $27, 646.